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President Obama isn't the only one getting a boost in his image. Just weeks after assuming a new majority in the House, the Republican Party is also making a comeback in the polls. And according to Gallup, for the first time in five years, more people have a positive opinion of the GOP than a negative one.

The Illinois Supreme Court ruled today that former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel meets the residency requirements to run for Chicago mayor, overturning a lower court ruling and re-installing him as the race's frontrunner.

President Obama has chosen former journalist Jay Carney to replace press secretary Robert Gibbs, a longtime loyalist, when he leaves the post in mid-February -- one of a number of staff changes announced today by White House chief of staff Bill Daley.

The recent repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell" notwithstanding, it's been a long time since we talked about social issues. Republicans rode to victory on the strength of so-called "values voters" in 2004, championing a message of social conservatism on issues like abortion and gay marriage. Since then, the Iraq war and the economy have consumed us and left little appetite for much else. But beneath it all, a little-noticed trend has emerged: the Republican Party has moved steadily to the left on gay rights.

The "O" mystery is over, at least according to Time magazine. Mark Halperin writes that the anonymous scribe behind this month's Obama novel is Mark Salter, a former aide to and speechwriter for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). "As I've...

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's political action committee saw its fundraising fall off a bit at the end of the year, but it still turned in a good number. Sarah PAC raised $279,000 between Nov. 23 and Dec. 31. That's down from $469,000 raised during the month-plus after the election, but it's still a better pace than most presidential candidates have been managing.

Friday will be deputy chief of staff Jim Messina's final day at the White House as he begins to formally transition to his role as campaign manager for President Obama's reelection race, according to an Administration source briefed on the matter.

Rahm Emanuel is still on the ballot, at least for now. The Illinois Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the former White House chief of staff's name should be on any ballots printed in the Chicago mayor's race, at least until it has dealt with an appeal Emanuel's campaign filed earlier in the day.

Last week, Republican leadership was quick to dismiss the idea of mixed State of the Union seating, originally proposed by the bipartisan Third Way. But a whole bunch of members have signed up -- including Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), whose "You lie!" outburst became an example of partisan incivility in Congress. Here are all the pairings we can find, along with some points of agreement and tension that could come up while they wait for President Obama to speak. If you see any we missed, let us know in the comments.

In response to our post last week on the art of the political takedown, Fix readers sent in some knockouts we missed. Most of the additions involve sexual impropriety, but there's one Wu-style expose of simply strange behavior.